5 Tips on Caring For Clothes to Make Them Last

Proper care of clothing can make all the difference in having them last for years to come. 

Wash Your Clothes in Cold Water

Clothes don't need super hot water to get clean. Use a mild detergent on the cold cycle. Hot water can shrink your clothes and cause them to fade. Wash clothes in cold water to help maintain them for longer.

Hang to Dry in the Shade

Don't put your garments in the dryer. The dryer is hard on your clothes, can shrink them, and uses a lot of energy to operate. Instead, hang your clothes to dry on a drying wrack, or on a hanger. Hang to dry in the shade to protect the colours of your clothes.

Laundry hanging in the shade on an outdoor line

Wear Often, Wash Only When Dirty

Is it really dirty? Don't wash if you don't have to. If it's not smelly or severely dirty, you can spot clean in between washes for minor spills or messes. The sooner you tend to your spot, the less likely it will become a stain. I take a wet cloth or face towel and add a drop of shampoo or dish soap to the wet cloth - then dab the spot gently to lift out the mess. If I've left the spot too long, and this step doesn't work, then I tend to soak the clothing in an OxyClean and water solution overnight (use the directions on the package). Then wash as normal in the morning.

Iron on Low to Remove Wrinkles

Not ready to embrace wrinkles in your clothing? If you want to remove wrinkles, iron on low (depending on the fabric). Sometimes hanging them in the bathroom while taking a hot shower can release some wrinkles. Stating the obvious here, but an unnecessarily hot iron can scorch clothing. This is a great article to help identify the right temperature to iron clothes based on fabric type.

Mend it!

A loosening of a seam or a tiny tear can be fixed with a needle and thread, or find a professional near you. Dry cleaners often offer mending and tailoring services. A tiny stain on the chest (hands up if your chest catches the odd spill) can be hidden by a strategically placed broach. You can find lots of videos on YouTube on how to mend at home. 

A cardigan showing some creative mending - this is a leaf and two small daisy flowers, likely to hide tiny tears

When you tire of your style, you can engage these same tailors to alter your clothes to your taste.